The invention relates generally to agricultural machines and, more particularly to a combine having a broadcast spreader. One or more blowers are located in the outlet zone of the machine for spreading a discharge of straw and/or chaff over a wide area, and in which a chopper and/or rotary feed device is located prior to the blowers.
A combine of this type is known from DE-PS 43 21 905. There, a combine mounted straw chopper for the accruing straw is located in the outlet zone of a combine. Two blowers for spreading the discharged chopped straw and chaff over a wide area are provided downstream of the material flow. In this arrangement, the blowers are disposed below the chopper and are loaded with the chopped material from above via a feed funnel. The kinetic energy inherent to the material as a result of its passage through the chopper is thereby lost. The chopped material has to undergo a change of direction after passing through the blowers and must then be re-accelerated.
It would be advantageous to utilize at least part of the lost kinetic energy.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome the problem discussed above.
Another object is to achieve an energy-saving discharge of the chopped material and a wide distribution thereof over the field.
This object is achieved by making the material outlet opening of the chopper or the feed device lie in the same plane as the inlet opening of the blower for the purposes of feeding the material thereto without subjecting it to a change of direction. In an arrangement of this sort, the chopped material does not have to be slowed down during the process of transferring it from the chopper to the wide-spreading discharge device. It can be conveyed onwardly at the same speed as that with which it leaves the outlet end of the chopper. It is also possible for the chopped material to be subjected to further acceleration over and beyond the discharge speed from the chopper. Spread widths can thereby be obtained that would not be achievable if the chopped material were to be slowed down for an interim period. In the case of very wide cutter mechanisms having a width of 9 meters for example, such braking of the material would lead to the chopped material being distributed unevenly thus making any subsequent work on the field more difficult. In addition, the arrangement of the invention reduces the danger of a chopper or blower becoming blocked since material can no longer build up at the spot where the chopped material would change direction in a conventional arrangement. The more uniform conveyance of the chopped material also exerts a positive influence on the quality of the end product even when there are variations in the quantities being worked.
Thus, the downwardly open construction of the distributing blower has the advantage that any surplus of material will by-pass the blower and fall to the ground without causing a blockage should too much material be passed from the chopper to the blower. The rising straight or stepped edges of the part-piece ensure that the chopped material is properly distributed in the transverse direction in a very simple manner. It is easily possible to adjust the spread width by altering the height of the part-piece or by rotating it.
In accordance with the present invention there is provided a combine having an outlet zone for discharge of straw, chaff and like materials; a blower located at the outlet zone for spreading the materials over a wide area; a feeding device located upstream of the flow of materials to the blower and having an outlet opening; the feeding device outlet opening lying in the same plane as an inlet opening of the blower for transferring the materials directly to the inlet opening of the blower without a change of direction.
These, and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the same becomes better understood from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.